‘The Hope’ presents God’s saving plan

     Using footage from a variety of movie productions “The Hope” video by Mars Hill Productions presents a fresh and exciting visual panorama of God’s redemptive plan for humanity in just 80 minutes.

     The video’s 12 chapters (further split into 36 individual viewing “events”) can be viewed in sequence or individually, making it an ideal teaching and discipleship tool.

     “The Hope” builds a foundation for a biblical worldview, using oral storytelling methods to communicate clearly to audiences as diverse as post-modernists or pagan tribes.

     Beginning with universal questions of purpose and concluding with a personal invitation, “The Hope” introduces God’s work in creation, man’s fall and God’s promise to deliver and call a people to himself. It culminates with Jesus’ advent on earth, devoting roughly half of the movie to Christ’s life, work, death and resurrection; it continues with the advent of the Holy Spirit and His work in the early church.

     “The Hope” has been adapted into 21 different languages (four by Viña: Garifuna, Q’eqchí, Uspanteco and Western Kakchikel), and 22 more are in various stages of production.

     Mars Hill produced the video with hopes of facilitating adaptations into other languages. The producers are quite flexible regarding any changes necessary for the video to be culturally appropriate. This includes scene changes and deletions, as well as changes in the translation of the text. It is also possible to insert new, explanatory material between the chapters

     One of the crucial factors in communicating God’s truth to oral cultures is the need for a holistic, global approach. An oral person needs to see the “whole picture” before he or she can understand. Communicating bits and pieces without a context does not result in understanding—and may actually miscommunicate the message, or lead to syncretism.

     “In cultures that lack or have lost the influence of a Biblical worldview, a presentation of the Gospel that moves too quickly toward a decision for Christ is often ineffective,” according to Mars Hill Production. “In the Bible, God has related the plan of redemption, not as a set of spiritual truths leading logically to a proposition, but as a grand story. ‘The Hope’ is a powerful presentation of this story, from the beginning to end.”

     In May, 2004 Viña signed an agreement with Mars Hill Productions to begin adapting this video into the Mayan languages of Guatemala.

For more information on this video, and Mars Hill Production: Mars Hill